Cell phones are starting to make me very upset. I love how useful they are, and I love all the things that they can do, but I am tired of paying for them.
I sat down today and figured out that I spend about 1500 dollars a year on cell phones. That is a staggering amount of money. Now that is also with two phones for 1400 minutes a month. We never go over our minutes, in fact, we have quite a few rollover minutes that have added up. They are amazingly convenient also. For instance, we have an old car that tends to not work rather frequently. When that happens, and it has happened in extremely remote areas before, we just call someone and have them pick us up. If we didn't have a cell phone we would be trying to flag down strangers that are driving by-not an appealing option, especially with a wife and two kids.
But can I justify spending 1500 dollars a year on phones? It seems like it is hard to do. I have an iPhone. It brings that cost of the phone up 20$ a month to have the internet and 200 text messages and all the other nice stuff. It is an incredibly convenient device. Sam and I went to Denver last month and it was very nice to pull out the phone and get directions to wherever we were going.
This is more venting than anything. It just seems like 1500 dollars is way too much for a phone for one year. Let's say our plan was half as many minutes and half as much money, would it be worth it even then? We don't have a house phone, so we do save about 35$ a month there. Life is just incredibly expensive. I wish we didn't feel that cell phones are a necessity now.
Which brings up another point. I receive about 15 emails a day during the school year. Those are the emails that I have to respond to where someone is asking me a question or doing something similar. It makes life incredibly convenient to have a phone that lets me answer them from the spot. Does my phone actually make me money? I am starting law school soon, do you think that it will become more and more useful as time goes on? I think it may.
Love you guys
3 years ago
3 comments:
Hm. I don't have a cell-phone and I function quite well without one. We (meaning, basically, my grandma) have an "emergency" cell phone that she makes me take if I go somewhere far away, but even that is sort of a pay-as-you go thing - no minutes, no bill.
I hate being completely available to just anybody all of the time.
BUT then again, I don't have a spouse and two children. I think cell phones are very convenient, and you're probably right - it will probably become more useful as time goes on.
As for me... you don't miss what you never had, I guess. :)
Hold on to that phone. It is a convenience, no longer a luxury.
I work per diem. My boss can reach me anytime on my cell to tell me I've got clients. My kids can reach me anytime. My elderly mom. Saved me from scary situations on the road. I can reach, and be reached by, my horse-sitting clients anytime, anywhere.
With your type of career, it will be a necessity. We have a great plan, unlimited minutes to Canada where my mom and sisters live, and I can talk to my kids and grand-kids out west pretty much any time I want.
Yeah, the cell phone is insanely convenient.
I think I am going to wheel and deal to get a 3G iPhone. I will get the monthly plan increase subsidized somehow.
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